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On the sidelines of the angry protests outside Egypt’s state television building, a man who gave his name as Abu Haitham sat against the railing separating the sidewalk from the Nile River smoking a cigarette.

He said he was 62, a veteran of the 1967 and 1973 wars with Israel, and he looked tired. He owned a car-parts shop in nearby Wikalat al-Balah and stopped by to check out the protest.

“I don’t understand what’s happening,” he said.

“Are the people right?”

“Is the leadership right?”

“I am depressed. I don’t trust anyone.”

He said like most Egyptians, he lives hand to mouth and can’t work now. Read More »

A massive crowd of angry protesters converged on Egypt’s state television building, as the opposition moved again to expand their presence beyond Tahrir Square.

The building sits just north of the square along the Nile and is a much more sensitive target than the central square or even the parliament, which protesters took over midweek.

The Maspero TV building, named after the French Egyptologist Gaston Maspero, has been the hub of state propaganda since 1960. Protesters hope that if they can succeed in shutting it down via a constant sit-in outside the building, as they have shut down Tahrir Square and the area around the parliament, they could knock the state’s main national television stations off air, depriving the government of its most effective line of communication to Egyptians.

“If they take this building, if it drops to the masses, it will be a big symbolic victory for the revolution,” said Osama Ghazali Harb, leader of the opposition National Democratic Front and editor of the prestigious International Policies journal. Read More »

The crowd at the presidential palace in Heliopolis –- about 10 kilometers from the center of Cairo — has grown exponentially, with thousands gathering in last half hour. Military police in red berets patrolled the crowd to try to control it but, instead, they seemed to incite it, with several arguments breaking out.

There’s much disagreement here on what should happen next, even among friends. “We are very unhappy about the lack of support from Obama,” said Mohamed Samir, a 32-year-old accountant.

But his friend walking with him, Hesham Touny, 34, and also an accountant, shook his head vigorously. “We are not slaves!” he shouted. “We do not need intervention from the U.S.” Both agreed, however, that the solution lies with the military, the only trusted institution in the country.

They said they supported the military statement earlier in the day backing the transfer of power to Omar Suleiman, the newly appointed vice president. But insisted that President Hosni Mubarak has to resign. “His hands are covered with blood, and he must go,” said Mr. Samir, carrying a green felt prayer mat.

At Costa, an international coffee chain with a branch located near the palace, the restaurant’s employees hurriedly tried to get diners out, in anticipation of arriving protestors. One employee covered the windows with a white substance to make them stronger against possible thrown rocks and other objects. The restaurant was shutting down early and girding itself in case the protest gathering outside its door turns violent. Other shops and a gas station nearly have battened down the hatches, with sheets and blankets over windows. Read More »

The White House released the following statement after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s speech:

Statement of President Barack Obama on Egypt

The Egyptian people have been told that there was a transition of authority, but it is not yet clear that this transition is immediate, meaningful or sufficient. Too many Egyptians remain unconvinced that the government is serious about a genuine transition to democracy, and it is the responsibility of the government to speak clearly to the Egyptian people and the world. The Egyptian government must put forward a credible, concrete and unequivocal path toward genuine democracy, and they have not yet seized that opportunity. Read More »

The crowd this evening was unlike any other of the 17-day protest, bursting with anticipation. Many said it was their first time joining the protests, believing history was at hand. Parents brought their children, despite the late hour, wanting them to bear witness to what they thought would be their president’s resignation. Some of the children had wanted to join earlier in the movement, but their parents disallowed it.

That changed Thursday evening, when it looked like victory for the anti-Mubarak protestors was about to be had.

“You will see a celebration like you’ve never seen in your life,” said Mr. ElShahfie, the marketer for a telecommunications company. “We are kind of emotional anyway, and, well, we’ve been waiting for this for two weeks, actually 30 years.” Read More »

Nobel-prize winner who has emerged as a leading figure in Egypt’s opposition movement told CNN that Mr. Mubarak and his vice president Omar Suleiman are “twins,” and that “neither are acceptable to the people. Mr. Mubarak said earlier that he would hand powers to his vice president but never said he would step aside as many had expected.

In a message sent via twitter, Mr. Elbaradei sounded more combative: “Egypt will explode. Army must save the country now.”Read More »

Sameh Shoukry, Egypt’s ambassador to the U.S. told CNN that President Hosni Mubarak is no longer holding the reins of power in Egypt. The interview was an attempt to clarify a speech by the embattled president earlier, in which he said he will hand some powers to vice president Omar Suleiman, but will remain in charge. The speech angered protesters who expected Mubarak to announce he would step aside.

Referring to Mr. Suleiman as “de facto president,” ambassador Shoukry said the vice president now had “all the authorities under the constitution to act on any matter.” Read More »

Vice President Omar Suleiman repeated the same platitudes that he has announced to the nation all week: that there is a process in place to achieve political reform and that the protesters should allow the government to achieve these changes.

“I am committed to peaceful transfer of power accord to the constitution. I promise to fulfill the demands of the youth revolution. To the youth of Egypt and its heroes – go home,” says Mr. Suleiman.

“This great nation does not care for chaos and will not allow people with other agendas destroy us.”

“The country needs your arms to build and create a better country. Listen to your own mind and your intuition about what endangers us.”

“In our hands we can make this future bright filled with democracy.”

Mr. Suleiman also praised Mr. Mubarak for his patriotism and for his service to the nation. – Margaret CokerRead More »

President Hosni Mubarak’s decision to delegate some power to his newly installed vice president further removes from the scene a trusted ally of Israel and Saudi Arabia. But by clinging onto the presidency, he may end up reassuring officials somewhat in Jerusalem and Riyadh, who are eager to see a smooth transition of power to a like-minded leader.

In Jordan and Yemen, meanwhile, Mr. Mubarak’s continued retreat could put added pressure on the rulers of those autocratic regimes, both of which have been wracked by protests inspired by the revolts in Egypt and Tunisia. Still, it’s unlikely to trigger any fresh groundswell of popular anger in Amman or San’a, especially since Mr. Mubarak stopped short of bowing to the key demand of protesters: his resignation.

Top officials from Israel and Saudi had already expressed deep unease in recent days over the continuing unrest in Egypt and Mr. Mubarak’s possible departure. News that he would hold on in an as-of-yet unclear role isn’t likely to ease worries significantly. Read More »

President Obama watched Mr. Mubarak’s speech in the conference room of Air Force One as he flew back from an economic event in Marquette, Mich. He then joined his national security team to consider next steps.

Before his Michigan speech, the U.S. president took time to hail the protesters in Cairo, saying, “What is absolutely clear is that we are witnessing history unfold.”

“They’ve turned out in extraordinary numbers, representing all ages and all walks of life, but it’s young people who’ve been at the forefront,” Mr. Obama said. “And so going forward, we want those young people and we want all Egyptians to know America will continue to do everything that we can [to] support an orderly and genuine transition to democracy in Egypt.”

That formulation, and the emphasis on the words “orderly” and “transition,” has now lost their usefulness, advisers said. Mr. Obama may have no choice but to publicly demand that Mr. Mubarak step down, as he did with the embattled head of the West African country of Cote D’Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo, who is clinging to power after an election he is widely believed to have lost. – Jonathan WeismanRead More »